Keep it relevant

I reckon a good example of this is using technology to make stuff simpler versus combining a bunch of technologies as it they?re the holy grail. I find it astounding the amount of time and money spent by big businesses trying to interrupt the way people think by hyping up converged products. Take the mobile phone and SMS that combines a camera, video, TV, MP3, organiser, email and internet into a heavy one-stop shop. But are people really using all the stuff crammed into a brick?

Did you know 28% of US mobile phone users can view videos on their phones but only 1% actually do!. I use my phone and SMS about 99% of the time. Which means I carry 50% extra weight for all that other stuff I use 1% of the time. Give me a credit card size phone with text and I?ll be happy ? If carriers offered them on good plan that is. But why would they when they want to charge your for bandwidth use?

In reality, I think it?s the diverged products that dominate categories. Take the MP3 out of the phone and what have you got? An iPod! The iPod dominates because it only does MP3, but in a way that people can relate to and remember. Think about it, MP3 sounds like a mathematical formula whereas iPod sounds cool and because it only does one thing it?s lighter and better than a mobile could ever hope to be.

Starbucks just does coffee, Subway just does subs, Pizza Hut just does pizza and they dominate their categories. Yet so many business want to be everything to everybody. Take our business for example; instead of searching for flights, hotels, tours and car rental ? we just focus on car rental search and with a simple and memorable call to action: Oodles.com. We rekon a brand that focuses on just one thing, and does it well, stands a much better chance of being part of [what people] want to watch and read and consume.

Good mag by the way, some quite in touch articles.